Shoe.



UNITED STATES GEORGE S. \VEBBER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,898, dated. September 3, 1901.

Application filed April 15, 1901. Serial No. 55,883. (No model.)

To a, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. WEBBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to shoefastening means of the character described in Letters Patent No. 660,284, granted to me October 23, 1900. 4

My primary object is to provide a shoe which shall be neater in appearance and more substantial in construction,while still employing a closing-web or oscillating flap of the same general character as that described in the aforesaid patent.

My invention is shown in its preferred form in the accompanying drawings, in which-'- Figure l is a view in perspective showing the closing web or flap of the shoe open; Fig. 2, a broken perspective View showing the web or flap in the position which it occupies preparatory to closing the shoe; Fig. 3, a perspective view showing the shoe closed, the construction of the closing-web being slightly modified to give the appearance of a buttonshoe; Fig. 4, an enlarged broken section illustrating one of the wire guides employed; Fig. 5, a perspective View, on a reduced scale, showing the opposite side of the shoe illustratedin Fig. 3; and Fig.6, an enlarged broken section illustrating the attachment or connec tion at the inner upper corner of the closing web or flap.

In the construction shown in Fig. l the web is shown applied to a shoe of the general form of a lace-shoe.

A represents the upper of the shoe, the same being provided at its front with the usual slit, placket, or opening a; B, the flap, web, or placket-cover, the same being connected with the base of the upper along a line bb'; A, a guide attached to the upper A at one side of the placket-opening a, and B a flexible guide connected with the adjacent side of the flap B. At the side of the flap B opposite the guide B the flap is left unsecured at its upper portion, except by means of a button 0 and buttonhole c. I have shown the flap B divided centrally, the same being permanently closed by means of a lace. When desired, the lace can be adjusted to tighten or' loosen the shoe. The lower end of the guide A is a short distance above the lower end of the flap B, and by folding the flexible flap and guide with which it is provided, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the upper end of the guide B may be caused to engage the lower end of the guide A, after which the flap may readily be drawn upward to the closing position. The fastening is completed by means of the button connection at c c.

In Figs. 3 and 5 B designates the flap, the same being connected with the upper along a line d d and left unconnected along lines 01 d and dd Imitation buttons fare shown along the margin (1 d It will be understood, of course, that the guides are beneath the margin of the flap adjacent to a line (1 d In this construction I have shown an extensible strap 9 connected with the upper, the same being provided with a button g, which en gages an eyelet or buttonhole 9 with which the flap B is provided at its inner upper corner. The manner of use is the same as that described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2.

It will be seen that by means of my construction a shoe of neat appearance is pro' vided and that in this construction there is no opportunity for the flap to buckle open and cause an untidy appearance.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 there is a portion of the upper h beneath the inner lower portion of the flap which causes the instep to appear of the same height at that position as it does at the corresponding position at the opposite side of the placket. If desired, this material at h may be cutaway,

as indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 5.

In some instances the flap is supplied with elastic material, and where this is the case it is of course unnecessary to provide any means of adjustment to suit the wearer in the matter of the tightness of the upper. It is of course essential that the guide and fasteners I be so located and that the form of the guides be such that when the flap is closed there is the desired pressure exerted throughout every portion of the guides.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a shoe, the combination with an upper provided with a slit, of a guide located on the upper on one side of said slit, a flexible flap permanently connected at its lower end with said upper, a guide connected with one margin of said flap, the same not interfering with the necessary flexibility of the flap, and means for securing the flap in its closed position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a shoe, the combination with an upper provided with a slit, of a guide located on the upper on one side of said slit, a flap provided at one margin with a guide engaging said first-named guide, said flap being permanently connected along its lower margin with the shoeand left disconnected along its margin opposite the guide-equipped margin, and means for securing the upper free corner of the flap to the adjacent portion of the upper, substantially as described.

3. In a shoe, the combination with an upper provided with a slit or opening, of a guide located on the upper on one side of said slit, a flexible flap permanently connected at its lower end with said upper, and a flexible guide connected with one margin of said flap, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE S. WEBBER. In presence of- D. W. LEE, ALBERT D. BAOCI. 

